Play Of Shadows by Sebastien De Castell

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Damelas Shademantaigne picked a poor night to flee a judicial duel. He has precious little hope of escaping the wrath of the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, until he stumbles through the stage doors of the magnificent Operato Belleza and tricks his way into the company of actors. An archaic law provides a temporary respite from his troubles – until one night a ghostly voice in his head causes Damelas to fumble his lines, inadvertently blurting out a dreadful truth: the city’s most legendary hero may actually be a traitor and a brutal murderer. With only the help of his boisterous and lusty friend Bereto, a beautiful assassin whose target may well be Damelas himself, and a company of misfit actors who’d just as soon see him dead, this failed son of two Greatcoats must somehow find within himself the courage to dig up long-buried truths before a ruthless band of bravos known as the Iron Orchids come for his head.Oh, and there’s still that matter of the Vixen waiting to duel him…

This was really good. I had such a fun time with it. I absolutely love Sebastien De Castell’s writing style. He is great at writing characters. Damelas is an excellent leading character. I really got behind him and wanted him to succeed. I enjoyed all the side characters and they bounce off each other perfectly. The atmosphere and world building are excellently written. This author can really write an action scene that puts you right there with the characters. The thing I absolutely love about Sebastien De Castell’s writing is his humour and his injection of emotions. One minute you’re fearing for the characters lives and the next you are laughing your head off. I also listened to the audio and the voice actor Joe Jameson does an amazing job of bringing these characters and story to life. I cannot wait for the next instalment of this series.

Thank you to Quercus Books for the advanced copy of this book.

Charmcaster by Sebastien De Castell

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Third adventure with Kellen and crew. Kellen has begun to master his spellslinging and the Argosi tricks to stay alive. He and Squirrel Cat Reichis are taking down mercenary mage. But Ferius believes danger is on the way.

Kellen, Reichis and Ferius are back for another great instalment of the spellslinger series. I still love the characters and I love Reichis more and more with every book I read in this series. It’s well written and well paced. I can’t wait to pick up Soulbinder.

Shadowblack by Sebastien De Castell

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The second book in the he e spellslinger series sees Kellen meet Seneira, a blindfolded girl who is carrying a secret.

Second in the series and my second Sebastien De Castell. He is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. This one is fast paced and I couldn’t put it down. Kellen and his companions are enjoyable but Squirrel Cat, Reichis is still my favourite character. It’s not going to be too long before I pick up Charmcaster and continue with this series.

Spellslinger by Sebastien De Castell

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Kellen is entering trials to prove he has what it take to be a Jan’Tep. Only problem is, his magic is gone. A mysterious Argosi traveller, Ferius Parfax, may be his only hope.

I really liked this book. It’s fast paced and fun. I loved all the characters but my favourite has to be Squirrel Cat, Reichis, he’s hilarious. The world building and magic system are well written. This is my first De Castell book but I may have found a new favourite author. Cannot wait to pick up the next book in this series.